that you not be quickly shaken in mind nor troubled, either by a spirit or by a message or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ is come.
Truth to Learn
All Christians need to read and study the Bible for themselves.
Behind the Words
In the previous verse, the words “we ask” are from erōtaō, meaning “to make a request.” Then, this verse starts out with eis to, which is one of Paul’s favorite idioms, indicating the subject of Paul’s request. Today, we might say, “Please … don’t be quickly shaken …”
“quickly” is translated from tacheōs, meaning “quickly,” “hastily,” or “soon.”
The word “shaken” is from saleuō, which is based on the noun salos, meaning “an ocean wave.” It is a picture of a ship being buffeted by waves. Thus, saleuō means “to be rocked back and forth” or “to be shaken up.”
“Troubled” is from the verb throeō, based on the noun throos, meaning “the loud, disturbing noise of a riotous crowd.” Thus, throeō (expressed here in the passive voice) means “to be troubled, disturbed, or terrified.”
Logos is the Greek word translated “message.” It literally refers to intelligence or a word, discourse, or saying as an expression of that intelligence.
The words “is come” are translated from the verb enistēmi, which is a compound word made up of en, meaning “in” or “with” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Thus, it means “to be present” or “to be at hand.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, which in Greek means an action that occurred in the past, but with present ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the effect. In other words, Paul is using this word to mean that the day of Christ has come and is now here.
Meaning Explained
When Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy started the church in Thessalonica, they apparently had given instruction in the soon return of Christ to gather all believers to Himself (the Rapture) and the ensuing judgment of God against the unbelieving world (the Tribulation and future judgments). In his first letter to this church, Paul gave additional instruction regarding the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Now he tells them not to be easily shaken or disturbed by false teachings regarding these events.
There were three possible sources of these false teachings. The first is “by a spirit.” This indicates that this teaching was supposedly given to a “spirit-filled” teacher or prophet speaking by direct revelation from God. The second is “by a message,” implying that it is a message given verbally, probably as part of a sermon. The third is “by a letter,” indicating a written message. Understand that it was not uncommon during the early years of the church for letters to be sent by imposters claiming to be Paul or another of the apostles.
Before we finish, we need to observe that the word translated “Christ” (christos) is disputed. The earliest and best manuscripts have the word translated “Lord” (kurios) instead. This is an important distinction since, as Paul has taught previously, the Day of Christ refers to the Rapture, but the Day of the Lord refers to God’s judgment against the world. The message of these false teachers was not that the rapture had already happened, but that the Tribulation had begun. Given the persecution and tribulation they were suffering, it would have been fairly easy to convince the Thessalonians that this was true. In the following verses, Paul will tell us of several things that must occur before the Tribulation will begin.
Application
Very few preachers or teachers intentionally teach false doctrine; they simply teach what they have been taught or what they believe based on their own study. It is critical for us to read and study the Bible for ourselves and verify all such teaching (see Acts 17:11). No matter how great the teacher or preacher, don’t believe their message without verifying it yourself based on your own study of what the Bible teaches!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved